


In Pink

by gingersunlights



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Also Hermione is the fucking best, Also she fucking shreds, F/F, F/M, Ginny is a bamf, Ginny's kind of super comfortable in the free- love rock and roll scene, I mean, M/M, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, She's a BAMF, and makes out with a lot of people, obvs, so like, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-30
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-04-28 20:45:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5105153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingersunlights/pseuds/gingersunlights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Ginny finds escape on the underground scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Honestly, I'm fine, babes, I'm just tired from last night." Said Ginny Weasley, staring at herself in the green-room mirror.

"Alright, but I'm over here with a doubleshot espresso if you need me." Said Alice with a smile and a poke to Ginny's ribs. Alice played bass in the band, and sometimes, when Ginny was being honest with herself, she thought that she liked Alice best of all the people she'd met in the muggle world.

Ginny sometimes looked at herself for a while in the mirrors backstage before she went onstage, and tonight was the same as ever. She saw long, straight red hair, tired eyes, and more freckles than she could count. Pushing her hair back from her face, Ginny sighed and went to work.

OoOoO

"Hey, Hermione, are you sure this is the right place?" Said Harry, looking up skeptically at the marquee. It was just like the sort of place nobody would expect miss priss Hermione Granger to like, which, of course, was just how she liked it. Nobody would ever find her there.

"Yeah, Harry," she said with a smirk, "I'm sure."

Hermione had been to the Alligator before, but Harry never had, and she knew there wouldn't be time later. She knew what was coming, and she also knew that it wouldn't be safe. 'For now,' she would think, 'we'll keep this for now.'

OoOoO

Inside was a raucous mess, like always. That was sort of why Ginny liked the place. She and the band played other clubs around the city, but this was her favorite. It was low key, simple. Ginny liked them grunge and dirty; it made her feel at home.

"Hey, dollface."

That was what Alex had always called her, from the day they met in his friends' old garage. He'd said that she had looked like she wasn't real, like she was from somewhere else. Dollface.

Turning around to sling her arms around his neck, Ginny said "Hey, babes. I thought you were with Jet in the wings."

"Nah. You know how he gets before a show. Antsy ain't my shit, man."

Laughing, Ginny said "Yeah, he'll crawl out of his skin before he lets you in peace."

Pause.

"You look tired, babes."

Ginny looked away and dislodged an arm to run her hand haphazardly through her hair.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Not enough sleep, you know."

"Are you ever gonna tell us?"

Ginny paused a moment, thinking of what it would be like if she did. It would feel good. It would be like being free, like she didn't have to carry it anymore. If Alex knew, he would understand.

But, it wasn't like she'd never thought of it before, and she had- she thought about it often. And she knew she couldn't. The statute of secrecy was fucking her up.

"One day, when it's over." She said, looking at him straight on. And he knew he had to believe her.

"Right. Lets get on with the fuckin' show, yeah dollface?" He said, finding again his boyish charm.

Punching him in the arm, which was somewhat difficult given her position, Ginny said "Fuck yeah." With a grin, and leaned forward to kiss him quickly on the corner of his mouth before running off to find Alice.

OoOoO

"This place isn't very much like the last one you took me to." Said Harry over the din inside the club.

"Of course not." Said Hermione reasonably. "I couldn't very well just dump you in the deep end, could I?"

Then, the lights dimmed in the club, the volume rose, and a girl walked out on stage.

The lights then went up as far as any self-respecting club in London would ever allow, and the girl said, "Hey how's everybody doing tonight?"

The crowd got louder, yelling, and tossing cheers up and over the many, many heads.

"Hey!" Yelled the girl, louder than before, and said, "I said hows everybody fuckin' doing tonight?"

The crowd wend mad for her, and Harry and Hermione found themselves being jostled left and right, everyone getting closer to the stage to see the band, who had walked on stage during the applause.

Harry looked over at Hermione being jostled like hell through the crowd, and saw her grinning.

Then, the girl laughed, and Harry thought for a second that she looked sort of familiar, but dismissed it, thinking it would be ridiculous that he'd know anyone from muggle London.

Then, the girl said something and Harry made himself pay attention.

"Hey hey everybody we're Brighton Rock and we're about to fuck you up. Hit it, Jet."

The room exploded with sound and Harry heard her first words right out over the crowd-

"I'm gonna fight 'em off

A seven nation army couldn't hold me back

they're gonna rip it off

takin' their time right behind my back."

Hermione was completely enthused and taken with the girl's performance, and began to drag Harry closer to the stage to jump with the rest of the crowd, and soon enough, they were standing just a couple of people away from the stage.

Harry looked up again to watch the girl gyrating and pumping her foot to the beat when she looked up and over the crowd.

"What the fuck." Said Harry, recognizing her, and not quite believing his eyes.

Hermione hadn't heard, and kept dancing to the music, but stopped when she noticed that Harry had gone still.

"What is it Harry?" She got in close so he could hear her.

"It's Ginny." He said, into her ear.

Comprehension dawned slowly on Hermione, who had perhaps had one too many shots of tequila before the show, and she looked up to the stage again.

"Holy fuck!"

"Yeah, holy fuck!"

"And the message coming from my eyes says leave me alone."

And then, looking back up at the stage, Hermione just laughed, and laughed, and began to dance again. And so did Harry.

OoOoO

Ginny loved the stage. She loved it so much that she jittered every night before she walked out onstage, and she was still buzzing when she got to the microphone and asked the crowd how they were feeling.

She loved that part, truly, but what she lived for, well, it was for the rush of calm. The first note Alice played, and the wash of silence just before she sang the first note. It was her escape, and fuck knew she needed one.

OoOoO

"Alright ladies and gents, we're gonna end it in the eighties tonight with a song I think you're all gonna like.

The lights dimmed, and Ginny felt bright, alive, and shiny. She was free, free from everything that wanted to get her, and free from the horrors of reality. Right then, all she had to be was spectacular.

She looked up and across the crowd, opened her eyes, and sang.

"Color me your color baby,

color me your car."

The noise in the crowd rocketed upward, and Ginny looked sideways at Alex, who was pounding out power chords and smirking at her.

"Color me your color, darling,

I know who you are."

Alice walked up to play beside her for the next couple lines, and then they both leaned into Ginny's mic and sang.

"Call me! On the line,

Call me, any any time."

-She looked back out to the crowd, and then-

"Call me."


	2. She's Got Legs

“Hey, baby, need something to come you down?” Said Alex, passing a mug of tea over to Ginny.

“You always talk like you’re trying to get up my skirt.” In all fairness, he was, but Ginny knew he wouldn't have to try very hard. It always worked.

Alex just smirked.

The two of them were sat in the makeshift lounge on their bus- the one they kept for touring in the summer- and Ginny had traded her ripped cutoffs and smudgy eyeliner for an oversized T-shirt she’d stolen from Harry earlier in the year. 

She looked at Alex with bloodshot eyes and grudgingly took the tea, cradling it against her chest. She let the warmth seep through the cotton of the t-shirt and into her skin.

“Alice’s gone out. With Jet. Think they’re fucking again?”

“I don’t know, dollface, maybe they’re just doing tequila shots off coeds stomachs on the avenue. Could be something completely innocent.”

“Yeah.”

When she didn’t rise to his bait, Alex shifted over to ingratiate himself into her nest of pillows on the floor.

“Are you empty again, do you think?”

Ginny only looked at him with her tired, tired eyes, before she said “I’m better than I was. But you know how things are. With me. With my family. I don’t suppose I can ever tell them what I’m actually doing. You won’t understand this,” she said, putting one, small hand over one of his big ones, “But it would be shameful- this kind of escape. Traitorous, given our reality.”

“You can tell me, you know.”

“Alex, you know I ca-“

“No-“ He interrupted her, “I mean you can tell me without really telling me. Can’t you? Just tell me the important things, and I won’t ask questions. Scout’s honor.” He said, mock saluting her.

Ginny thought on it for a moment, and then a minute, and then another, shifting herself so she could lean back into his chest and drink her tea. Then, she decided.

Staring at the wall, she began with “Did you ever learn what happens to the soldiers during times of war?” And then, before he could answer, she continued “Because there’s something they don’t tell you about it before you throw in with the revolutionaries- no one survives.”

“They send you home with an honorable discharge, isn’t that what they call it? Yeah, they send you home looking like you’re still alive, rosy cheeks and all, but everyone who ships out dies in the field. It’s in their eyes, Alex. It’s that look in their eyes when you-“ she stopped herself.

“I ran away. Me and the kids, we’re all running, have been our whole lives. Theres not a one of us who isn’t scared shitless, and that’s not the worst of it. The part that really fucks me up, Alex, you know really fucks me up,” she said, moving to turn around so she could face him again, “is the part where I throw in anyway.” She said it with fire in her eyes, blazing hot one moment, blown out the next.

Getting up then, Ginny looked more tired than Alex had ever seen her, except for maybe that one night in Paris. They had left, them and the band, had only wanted to get away, play a show, get out of dodge, but then Ginny had looked up at the lights. The lights of Paris, glowing blue and gold like a promise.

There had been longing in her eyes when she left, like she knew she wouldn’t ever be coming back. 

“I’m fucking tired, Alex. And it’s not over yet. We’re only just beginning, and it’s going to get so, so much worse from here. I know what’s coming. I can feel it in my-“ she paused. “In my bones.”

Ginny sat down at the little counter in the kitchenette, and stirred her tea. Waiting for something, she sat, and she stirred, staring down into her mug. 

“Alice says that she sometimes feels you leave electric shocks on her favorite things.” Ginny’s head snapped up, and she narrowed her eyes. Her wand was at the Burrow. She was good enough wandless that she could protect herself if it came to that, and she was certain that it would. They couldn’t know, they couldn’t possibly-

“I’m not saying anything, Gin.” She didn’t relax.

Holding his hands up, Alex said, “your secrets are yours to keep. But you have to know that you’re safe here.”

“There are laws, Alex, I cant- You don’t understand.” Ginny looked a bit lost then, grasping for something that was not there.

“I know, babes, and you don’t have to tell me.”

“Okay. I- okay.”

OoOoO

-Later that evening-

“Hey, Alice, listen that’s cheating!”

“Ha! You fucking lose, pretty boy!!” Said Alice, blonde curls bouncing.

“Ginny, tell her that is so unfair. Babe.” Pleaded Alex, taking Ginny’s hand and kissing it, his mouth still full of swedish fish. “Please babes. I can’t lose to this harlot, queen of lies!”

“Oi!” Said Jet.

“Sorry, mate.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Ginny shook her head, and Alice only looked smug. Winning the hand left her with all the fishes left in the bag, and she looked positively like the cat who had gotten the canary.

“Come on you, outside.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright missy.” Alex acquiesced.

Ginny opened the door on the side of the bus, and let them out into the night air. It was warm still, though the show had been out a couple of hours, and it was only just past one in the morning.

The two of them sat down on the steps there in silence for a few minutes before Ginny said “Have a walk down the pubs?”

“Nah. Tired.” Said Alex, rubbing his eyes.

“What do you need?”

“A drink. But not, you know, where there’s people. Maybe, I mean- I don’t know.” He unlaced their hands then so he could rest his left one on her hip and tug her a bit closer.

“Are you sure?” Ginny asked, as he drew her in for a short kiss.

“Yeah, if you feel like it. I know it’s been a while.”

Alex kissed her again, only this time, it was soft and slow, and Ginny let his tongue drift into her mouth. She sighed, letting it consume her, just a little bit. It was easy like this, between them. The were un-messy and easy, like running water.

“Hang on, there mate.” She said, stopping him up a second.

He looked at her questioningly, hand paused on the warm skin of her tummy.

“Let me grab a skirt or something, lets go get a drink. Just one.”

“Yeah, okay, but when we get back I am definitely not letting Alice have a go at you first. I remember last time; you’re a damn floosy when you’re drunk.” He said with a small smile.

She held her pinky out to him- “Promise.” She said.

He wrapped his pinky around hers. “Deal.”

OoOoO

They were walking down the avenue, Ginny in her cutoffs again, but still in the T-shirt she’d meant to wear to bed when Alex stopped in front of one of their favorites and said, “yeah?”

“‘Kay.” Said Ginny, and they turned in, all the while Alex trying to chase a kiss.

“Oh you leave me alone, you ridiculous boy.” She said, grinning a bit while she tried to find a spot at the bar.

“Hey Gin!!” Came shouts from various corners of the bar. They knew her here, and every day she thanked the powers that be that they only recognized her because she was the singer in a band. She bloody loved muggle London.

She smiled and waved, and they took their seats at the bar, which had been miraculously cleared, while the place quietened down again to the dull roar it usually kept.

“Hey, did you forget to wear a bra again?” Asked Alex, over the din, and only slightly amused. It did happen often enough.

“Oh hey, yeah,” said Ginny, looking down. “Fuck me.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna,” he said, pulling her in to kiss her on the nose.

“Hey, Gin.”

Still laughing at Alex’s antics, she turned her head to see who it was, and then stopped still.

Alex, who’d noticed, turned to see who’d come in.

“Oh. Harry. Hello, I- ah what are you doing around here? In muggle London?” Asked Ginny, turning out of Alex’s embrace.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Harry said, “Oh, you know, out with Hermione. She’s absolutely ruthless, I never get any sleep, really.” He pinked a bit at the implications in that last, but to his credit, maintained composure. 

“Oh, of course. Ah, this is Alex, Harry, he’s from Brighton. You know, the beach side.” She said, in a bid to let him know Alex was a muggle.

“Yeah, hey, mate nice to meet you.” Said Alex, shaking Harry’s hand.

“Yeah, likewise.” Said Harry. “So, ah we, well we came to your show tonight, actually.”

“Oh!” Said Ginny. “Well then, I suppose that was strange. I never did tell you what I had been doing all summer. Surprise.” She said, and mocked jazz hands in that dry, sardonic way she knew would never fail to make Harry laugh, and laugh he did.

“Yeah, babe, we were all so worried.” He said, laughing still. “Nah, really, Hermione was just tickled pink to discover what you’ve been doing. She says you have all of Debbie Harry’s sex appeal and a voice all your own.”

“Just like Hermione to say something like that, the minx.” Said Ginny, turning to face Harry properly. “Where is she, anyway?”

“Ah, that’d be the loo, she’s had a few too many shots of tequila, and you know how they go straight through her, that mug- ah- strong sort.” He amended quickly.

“I’m gonna go get her then, and Alex, will you hang out here with Harry for a moment?”

“Yeah, sure thing, Gin.” He said, still looking somewhat amused. 

“So, hey you’re the guitarist, right?” Asked Harry.

“Yeah, babe, you like our show?”

Harry had spent enough time in the mad parts of town with Hermione at that point to roll with the punches, and the first time he’d kissed boys at a bar, Hermione had literally, actually done a little leap for joy. He certainly was no stranger, not the way he had been.

“Yeah, I never knew Gin could fuck me up with one line of lyric. She’s new and surprising every day, that woman.” Said Harry, taking a sip of his drink. Vodka, straight. He didn’t like to mess around.

“Yeah, life’s never boring with her, is it?”

“Nah. Couldn’t be. Like the sun, she is.”

OoOoO

“Babes!!” 

“Gin!!” Shrieked Hermione, making a beeline for Ginny’s face. “Why didn’t you tell us? You’re so hot, for starters, and I am totally coming to every show you play before we’re back in school next year.”

“Oh, you know, blood oath, all that bullshit.” Said Ginny, still grinning and holding onto Hermione. It was mostly so she wouldn’t fall over at that point, if she was being honest. 

Hermione leveled her with a serious look. “Your Jack White is smokin’ hot.” She paused to poke her on the nose, “Smokin’. Hot.”

“Hey, are you and Harry in town for the night?”

“Yeah, we’re at the hotel down the corner, why?”

“Come back and stay with us. The band would love to meet you. And Alice would probably love to fuck you, but you don’t have to entertain her.” 

“Yes! Oh let me tell Harry, do you know where he went?” Said Hermione, looking ‘round.

“Yeah, he’s probably getting hit on by my guitarist, if we’re being honest.”

Hermione giggled, and took off ahead of Ginny to go scout out the lost boys.

OoOoO

“Hey.”

“Hey dollface. You found your friend.”

“Hey Harry, I found you!!” Squeaked Hermione.

“Yeah, love, you found me, shall we get you a seat, then? Yeah, lets not fall over, this floor probably isn’t the cleanest.” Said Harry, holding onto Hermione by her elbow.

“Harry.” Said Ginny, “Come stay on the bus for the night. Alice and Jet are probably fucking in their room by now, but you could meet them in the morning.

“I-“ He said, looking at Hermione, “‘Mione?”

“She says Alice is cute.” Said Hermione, still holding Ginny’s hand.

“Yeah, sure, what the hell, lets get lush here back to your bus, I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Hermione gave a weak cheer.


	3. Who This Spoil of Beauty Can Forbid

“Hey, isn’t that my shirt?” Asked Harry, pointing to Ginny’s chest. They’d all sat down in the lounge again after putting Hermione in Ginny’s bed, and Alex was making tea. Again.

“Oh, yeah,” Said Ginny, “I suppose it is. And you’re never getting it back.” She said with a grin and a poke to Harry’s ribs.

“Hey!” Laughed Harry. “It is not nice to steal other people’s favorite shirts!” 

“You left it in my room!” Said Ginny, pointing an accusing finger at Harry. “And never asked for it back! Therefore, it is mine, I procured it fair and square.” She said, crossing her arms over her chest, and over the shirt in question.

“Rude.” Said Harry.

Ginny may or may not have stuck her tongue out at him then, but needless to say, she placed no stock in the business of being ladylike, and made her decisions accordingly.

“Uh, I guess you haven’t seen Ron lately, have you?” Said Harry, calming down.

“Ron? No, why?” Said Ginny, settling back into her pillow-nest and accepting another mug from Alex.

“Isn’t that your brother’s name?” Asked Alex.

Ginny nodded, and Harry looked uncomfortable.

“What, Harry?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure how to tell you this, but he’s dating Luna Lovegood.”

“Really.” Ginny deadpanned.

“Lovegood?” Asked Alex.

Ginny ignored him.

“Listen, he’s not out to hurt her or anything, I’m sure of it, really. They make an odd couple, the two of them, and a completely monogamous one. Pinky swear.” Harry offered.

Looking slightly mollified, Ginny squinted her eyes at Harry a moment, and then asked, “Do you think they’ll last very long? They’ve not actually been friends in the past.”

“Yeah, actually.” Said Harry. “It kind of feels like Ron’s seen the light, or something. I’ve never seen him more- ah- hopeful, you could say.”

“Hope is dangerous.” Said Ginny, heedless of Alex’s presence.

“Yeah, Gin, he knows that, but I reckon that he figured he’d rather have a little time with her than no time at all.”

Harry looked at Alex, and then at Ginny, and looking like he’d run out of energy altogether, said, “I had better get to sleep, Hermione has got all sorts planned for tomorrow. I don’t know what sort of plans call for the sheer amount of flaming cheetos she’s been stockpiling, but I know I’ll want to be rested for it.” He then extracted himself from the pillow fort, and set his mug down on the counter. And with a kiss on the top of her head, he said “Night, Gin.” And walked back to Ginny’s room where Hermione already slept.

“You’ve known him a long time.” Said Alex. It wasn’t a question.

“Years.” Said Ginny, and with that, she curled up and went to sleep.

OoOoO

“I am never drinking again.”

“Bullshit.”

Hermione only groaned and lay her head on the cool linoleum of the counter.

“Harry, if I so much as look at a drink tonight, I want you to slap me.”

“No can do, sorry, honey. Have to let you make your own shitty decisions.”

There was more groaning after that, but Harry decided that he only felt sort of responsible. 

“Well hello, then gorgeous. What’s doin’?” Said a female voice from behind Harry’s head.

Turning around, Harry saw a smallish, blonde girl who probably reached about five feet, eight inches tall despite her teeny waist.

“Ah- hello?” Said Harry.

“Super articulate, Ginny, dear. I can see why you like him.” Called Alice over her shoulder.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Ginny poked her head out, toothbrush still in her mouth.

“Ae don’ lie im.” She said.

“No, of course you don’t.” Said Hermione. “He’s a damn coward!” Hermione then hoisted herself up onto the counter so she could shove Harry in the ribs as best she could.

“Ow!” Came the inevitable response. “Vicious, woman!”

Hermione sat back onto folded legs and looked still disgruntled, if just a tad smug.

“Serves you right.” She mumbled.

“So.” Said Alice. “What’s up today?”  
Emerging from the bathroom whilst pulling on a t-shirt simultaneously, Ginny said “we’re going to Mione’s house.” To the room at large.

At that, Harry balked, Alice made an interested noise, and Hermione said “What?”

Looking her dead in the eye, Ginny made a sort of silent plea. She wanted to bridge a gap, so to speak. The only problem was that the gap existed between two worlds and may they never meet, and all that. 

Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jeans (Alex’s), Ginny kept on looking at Hermione and said “It’s neutral ground.”

Understanding, Hermione said “Oh. Of course. My house is international waters, right. Everyone can go there.”

“Why wouldn’t we be able to?” Asked lice, not totally unaware of the goings-on.

“Things with my family are complicated.” Ginny only half-lied. “And Hermione’s parents are more of the accepting sort.”

“Oh, sure.” Said Alice, relenting.

“Well,” said Harry, “Shall we find some breakfast and head out?”

“No,” said Hermione, “Mum and Dad will feed us. We’re a band of rag-tag freedom fighters and their friends,” she said, gesturing sloppily at the room at large, “They’d love nothing more.

“Pancakes for everyone!” She said, throwing her arms wide, and then flopping back down onto the table again. 

“Sorted, then.” Said Ginny, rummaging around in her pillow fort for her bag, an old, worn, and well lived in leather thing. 

OoOoO

Ginny stood with Hermione in front of her parents’ house, looking sideways at her. She reached out to hold her hand, and said “What, ‘Mione? Don’t you want to go inside?”

Staring forward, and limply holding Ginny’s hand in her own, Hermione said “Something’s not right.”

“No,” said Harry from behind her, “Something is off.” Turning to Ginny, he said “It’s in the air, Gin, can you feel it?”

Ginny turned back toward the house to study it. It was a tudor style sort of thing, with white paneling in the front, and steepled little roofs through the top. There was stonework through the bottom half, and was very pretty, by all accounts. Green foliage grew well-tended beneath the windows, and along the side of the house, but Ginny thought that it maybe didn’t look just as it had the summer before, when she had come to visit.

The air had taken on a grey-ish sort of tinge, and Ginny could feel dark magic in the air. Not much, but enough to know that someone had been there. The air had gone cold.

“‘Mione, we need to send an owl.” Said Ginny, tugging on Hermione’s hand. "We need to get the hell out of here and send an owl. Right. Now.”

When Hermione didn’t move, but stood frozen on the ground, Ginny looked imploringly at Harry, and then over at Alice, Jet, and Alex. The three muggles were spooked, and Alex was looking at Ginny like he was seeing her for the first time.

“What do you mean you can feel it in the air?” Asked Alex.

“You know how, Alex.” Was all she said.

“Harry, you stay here with Hermione, and I’m going to send a Patronus to Dad, and one to Dumbledore.” Moving to steady a grip on Harry’s shoulders, Ginny said “Whatever you do, Harry, do not let her go inside.”

“Are you going to apparate to the Burrow?”

“I don’t see any other options. Hogwarts is nigh completely unpopulated in the summertime, and there’s no guarantee Dumbledore will be there when I arrive, and you know that I can’t apparate directly into the castle. This is quicker.”

“I’m coming with you.” Said Alex.

Ginny looked at him, and then to Harry.

“D’you reckon he can? I mean, without a- I mean, I don’t know if it’s safe.”

“He can.” Said Hermione, breaking from her reverie. She turned to face away from the house, and began to wipe away the tears that had been silently falling. She reached out to Harry, and he took her hand.

“Section six, subsection three of the statute of secrecy states that a muggle can be side-along apparated in the event of a life threatening emergency. Hell, right now, it might even be legal.”

“Excellent,” said Harry. “Quasi-legal is the best we ever get these days, it’ll have to do.”

“Okay, Alex and I are going to the Burrow, and you need to get to Hogwarts.” Ginny paused to look at her muggle friends. She hadn’t wanted to tell them like this. She had wanted to keep her safe haven, and if at all possible, avoid breaking the statute of secrecy. Again.

“Alice?”

“Yeah, babes?”

“I need you to do something for me.”


	4. The Changing of the Tide

Ginny arrived outside the Burrow to whipping wind and rain, with Alex close beside her. The Burrow stretched up and up and up before her, towering and turned grey by the clouds that hovered high above it. It creaked, but did not sway. When Molly Weasley had cast her magic upon it, she hadn’t messed around. 

“Alex,” she said, turning around. She realized that she was still holding his hand. “I’m going to do something and it’s going to freak you out, but I’m going to need you not to lose your shit, okay?”

Still being unsure of the goings on, Alex only nodded, albeit warily. 

Ginny kept her eyes on him when she summoned her wand from the house, and gauged only a slight widening of his eyes when she caught it deftly in hand. 

“I need to cast a spell on you so you can go in the house, okay?” She’d had to raise her voice because of the wind, and was yelling just a bit. 

“Holy shit.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before- we ah- need to do this now, though. I’ll try to sort things out later, okay?”

“Holy shit.” Said Alex again. “Okay, yeah, do it.” He seemed to brace himself after that, and he squared his shoulders and closed his eyes, ready for impact. Then, he changed his mind, and opened them.

Ginny raised her wand and cast a variant of ‘Alohomora’ over him, the one her parents had begun to use when new wards had been raised for extra protection after the end of her third year; the year Voldemort had returned. In a sense, she ‘unlocked’ a space for him in the wards so he could come inside.

“Okay, let’s go.” Said Ginny, taking off toward the house.

Once they reached the door, Ginny muttered a spell at it, threw it open, expecting that her father would have gotten her patronus, and burst into action. She raced past her brothers sat on the kitchen counter, and straight upstairs before her mother could properly yell at her. She was going straight for what she thought of as her go-bag. It was fortunate, really, that she’d packed some of Harry’s clothes and things in it just in case. They would probably fit Alex.

It wasn’t that she planned on having to make a run for it, but Ginny Weasley was nothing if not prepared.

Alex stood in the doorway to Ginny’s room, taking in the alarmingly witchy quality of it, and said “You know, it isn’t so much different from your bunk on the bus.”

“Yeah, save for the toadstools and moving pictures, I think it bears a striking resemblance.” She said with a snort. She was only half-joking about the toadstools, but she figured Alex knew that.

“Okay. Downstairs.” Said Ginny, showing Alex in the right direction.

“Ginny!” Came her mother’s voice from downstairs. “What’s happened? I heard your patronus, but I don’t understand!”

Ginny, still rushing down the stairs, and coming down into the lounge said, “The Granger house has been attacked.” 

“Was it death eaters?” Asked Mr. Weasley.

“I’m almost sure of it, there was a kind of green hanging in the air, like the mark had been left there hours ago. I don’t think we got there right after it happened.” Said Ginny, setting her bag down on the coffee table. 

We hadn’t even meant to go there today.” She continued, looking at Fred and George now. Ron was nowhere to be seen.

Where’s Ron?” She asked.

“Oh, he’s over at Luna Lovegood’s today. We sent your patronus on toward him, he and Luna should be here any moment.” Said Mrs. Weasley, wringing her hands.

“Right. Well, like I said, we hadn’t even meant to go there today, but Alex and I- ah, this is Alex, by the way- we ran into Harry and Hermione afte- I mean in London, and they stayed over with us. We were stopping to have breakfast, and by the time we got within about twenty feet of the house, the air had gone cold, mum, like there’d been Dementors there.”

“We need to contact Dumbledore. Immediately.” Said Mr. Weasley.

“I’ve sent Harry and Hermione on to Hogwarts, and I’ve got a friend of mine notifying Arabella Figg. She's probably on a bus to Privet drive as we speak.”

“Yes, of course, she’ll know the quickest way to get to Dumbledore. Good idea, Ginny.” Said Mr. Weasley.

“So what do we do?” Asked Fred, speaking for the first time.

There was only silence for a moment, and then George said, “We’ve got to get wards up. More of them; we can’t be safe like this- the Grangers’ house had the same protections ours has.”

“No.” Said Mrs. Weasley. “We have to get to Hogwarts, now, before it’s too late. We don’t know how much time has passed since the attack, and we don’t know how exposed we’ll be if we get into the apparition zone outside our wards.” Mrs. Weasley turned to look at her daughter. “Ginny, how did you come through?”

“I zigzagged through Diagon alley. I thought about going through Luna’s or Godric’s hollow, but both of those places could already be being watched. I went through the leaky cauldron, it should still be safe.”

“Okay, everyone to the floo, let’s not risk going outside. They’re not going to target the leaky this early, they don’t have the manpower. Let’s floor there and then apparate outside the Hogwarts gates.”

“You think Hogwarts is safe?” Asked Fred.

“Of course it’s safe. Hogwarts is the safest place we could go right now.” Said Mr. Weasley.

Just then, Ron and Luna stumbled out of the fireplace and into the lounge, dragging little puffs of soot with them as they went.

“Ginny, how lovely to see you.” Said Luna, who was dusting soot off her sweater.

“What’s happened?” Asked Ron, who was holding Luna’s hand. He appeared to be doing it mostly for support.

“The Grangers’. It’s been attacked, and we are currently getting the hell out of here.” Said Ginny.

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Said Ron, and they were off.

OoOoO

When the Weasleys-plus-two arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, everything appeared as it did normally, not a glass seemed out of place. 

“Okay, they haven’t gotten here yet. It may have been an isolated attack.” Said Ginny, looking around.

“Well, this is a public space,” said Alex, startling everybody. “You said they haven’t got much manpower, right?” He asked Mr. Weasley. At his nod, Alex continued, “we’re probably safe here, but maybe not for long. We should get moving.”

“Okay,” Said Ginny, “out into the alley, then.”

Once they got there, Ginny side-alonged Alex again, and the rest went off in ones.

Just before they left, Ginny threw a look at Ron, and tried to say in the space of two seconds that she was sorry for running off in the middle of everything, but she suspected that all that registered was abject fear.

So, she looked away from him, took Alex’s hand, and disapparated.

OoOoO

As soon as she landed on the grass outside the gates, Ginny heard shouting, and suddenly there was spellfire coming at them from all directions.

Yanking Alex down to the ground, Ginny began to throw spells at anyone wearing a mask. There were five or six of them, as far a Ginny could tell, and strangely enough, they weren’t firing to kill.

Ginny narrowed her eyes, and went in for it on the nearest one, hitting him square in the chest with a stunner before he even saw her.

“Dad!” she yelled, whirling around.

“We’re okay!” He yelled, in between hexes.

“What’s going on!” She shouted as she flung stunners at one of the men in black.

Ginny got no response, so she focused in and got a shot in to the man’s neck, and didn’t stay long enough to watch him fall. She knew he wouldn’t be getting up for some time.

Ginny nearly got caught by a particularly vicious looking jelly-legs hex in the back, but it went wide, and that gave Luna just enough time to put the death eater down with a strange-looking purple hex.

“Alright?” She asked. That death eater had been the last one, and they littered the ground.

“Alright.” Said Ginny, picking herself up off the ground.

Alex emerged from behind a tree then, and Ginny saw that Harry and Hermione had been fighting with them.

“What happened?” 

“They were waiting for us. An ambush.” Said Hermione, who was seething, and wiping somebody’s blood off a little knife with her pink t-shirt. Alex was looking at her like she was a rabid animal- with fear, and fascination.

“We saw them when we got here, and were hiding in the trees when you lot showed up. We got rid of the first three before they’d even noticed we were here.”

“That’s what happens when a bunch of masked idiots go up against people who actually know how to fight.” Said Hermione with about as much disdain and contempt as she could possibly fit into her voice. Shoving the knife back into her pocket, she sneered at one of the felled men and shoved at him with the toe of her trainers. 

Disgusting.” She said.

“Is there anyone in the castle, Harry?” Asked Mr. Weasley.

“Not so far as we can tell, but I don’t doubt that if there is, they’ve seen us by now.” Harry walked up to the gate with a slight limp, and pulled at the lock.

“Hermione?” He prompted.

“Yeah, I’ve got it.”

Hermione strode over to the lock, and without saying anything at all, she set her hand over the mechanism. It glowed blue, and then everyone heard it unlock with a quiet ‘snick’. Her face still twisted into a sort of grimace, Hermione pulled the lock out of place, shoved the gate open the muggle way, and took off across the grounds.

Everyone rushed to follow her, and the lot of them headed off to the castle.

OoOoO

The Doors to the castle were open to them when they got there, and that came only as a small surprise. Ginny supposed that the castle would have recognized their magical signature once they had gotten onto the grounds.

Hogwarts was empty through the first floor, save one first-year and a small, black kitten. The castle was alight with wall sconces and and just as warm-cosy as Ginny knew it to be. For some reason, she had expected it to be cold, unlit, and thoroughly abandoned. She supposed that she had been expecting the worst, but Hogwarts was open in the summertime, after all.

There was a rustling and quick footsteps from behind them, and suddenly everybody’s wands were out, and Ginny had gone into a crouch.

“What are you lot doing here?” Said Minerva McGonagall, to whom the footsteps had belonged. She appeared to have completely ignored the ten wands trained on her, and was keeping her cool alarmingly well.

Upon seeing her, everyone relaxed, lowering their wands, and Mrs. Weasley said “Minerva, have you heard from Dumbledore?”

“Yes, I have. About twenty minutes ago, he asked me to secure the castle wards, and when I asked why, he simply said that there had been an attack.”

At that, it appeared that Hermione had had too much, and proceeded to burst into tears.

Harry was the first to her, and he held her around the middle while she slumped into his side.

“It was Hermione’s house,” Ginny said quietly, and somewhat redundantly, to McGonagall. “We checked everybody else’s and there have been no others, but there was an ambush waiting for us just outside the gates. I’ve tied them up in rope, and they’re most likely still stunned.”

Nodding her understanding, McGonagall said, “It would appear that I’ve got to make a call to Amelia Bones at the MOM.”

“It would appear to be so.” Said Mr. Weasley.


	5. At Ares' Door

Ginny was pacing in the warm glow of the Gryffindor common room fire while Alex watched her from the sofa. It was a lumpy, overstuffed, and old thing, but somehow those things only made it cozier. 

Alex let out a breath in a huff, and sank back down into the couch, preparing to wait a long while before Ginny deigned to tell him a few truths, but as it happened, he had only to wait a moment more. 

“I didn’t mean for you to find out this way, you know.” She said.

“You said that already.”

“I meant it.”

Ginny turned then and leveled him with a stare.

The others had gone up to the dorms. Everyone was sleeping, and Ginny and Alex were left alone in a room that she knew well, and to which he was nothing more than a stranger. It was odd, to be sure, seeing Alex sitting so comfortably in a place filled with magic, when before she had only known him in muggle spaces. It was so odd in fact, that a strange little thought had begun to wiggle it’s way into existence inside Ginny’s head.

“Hang on a second.” She said. “You walked straight into the castle. How did you walk straight into the castle?”

“What are you on about?” Asked Alex, looking at Ginny as though she might well have lost her mind.

“Muggles can’t see Hogwarts.” She said, running her hands through her hair. “Muggles can’t see Hogwarts, because that would be very, absolutely terrible, and would cause a whole lot of problems for everyone just like they did in the early fifteenth century before the charms went up.”

At Alex’s look, she said “Hey, sometimes I actually do listen in History of Magic. Or rather, I listen to Hermione when she talks about it.”

“So why can I see everything, then?

Ginny stared at him for a long moment. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know.”

“No idea.”

“So, is the castle alive? Could it have ‘let’ me in?”

“Yeah, sort of. Maybe. She’s meant to be sentient, or that’s what Hermione says.”

“So maybe she did let me in? I don’t know much about your world, Gin, but this whole magic thing kind of makes sense to me. I can’t really put any words to it, but I think it does.”

It was the first time he’d said it. Magic, the word aloud. Ginny paused for a moment, and thought on another little idea. She was just bursting with them tonight, she thought to herself, not unkindly.

“Do you have any strange aunts?” She asked, with her hand halfway to her mouth, as though she were acknowledging the oddity of the very idea.

“What are you playing at?”

“Hey babes, just answer the question. Got any crazy old bats on the family tree? Disappearing uncles?”

“Alright, alright, I’ve got one.” He said, surrendering. “An aunt on my mum’s side, she’s strange but not that strange. She comes and goes, but when she’s there, she’s always talking about things I don’t understand. Just nonsense, really.”

“Nonsense like today? Like things with names you don’t recognize? Nonsense like magic?” Ginny gave Alex a pointed look, and sat down on the ottoman in front of him.

“It’s fairly common to have a witch or wizard in the family no one knows about. How funny, that you’ve had two.” Ginny gave sort of a sad smile then. “Your crazy aunt, and me.”

“You think aunt Mabel is the reason your castle let me in? I suppose that makes a weird kind of sense.” Alex laughed. “I’ll have to send her a thank-you card.”

“Your aunt must be muggle-born. Like Hermione, actually. She’s the only one in her family. It happens all the time, and the other way ‘round. We call them squibs, though. A non-magical person born to wizards. They can see the castle, too.”

“So you’re saying I’m a squib.”

“Only sort of, if that helps. A squib is a direct relation, you’ve just got magic in your family tree. Means you never got introduced, but it explains why we were drawn together, I think. Magic finds magic. Always.”

“Always?”

“Yeah.”

Alex reached forward then, and pulled Ginny onto the sofa with him. She went easily, like water sliding over stones. Familiarity, in the face of violence. Alex, the common room. She felt strange.

“I don’t suppose you were ever going to tell me?” Asked Alex. It wasn’t really a question, though.

Ginny paused a moment, and said “No. I don’t think I was. I had this half-formed plan inside my head, like I was going to slip away in the middle of the night and you would never see me again. It sounds ridiculous now, but we’re at war. I figured one day I’d get the call, you know? I kept waiting for it, and I guess it did come, just differently than I expected. I didn’t think I’d have to take anyone else down with me, though. You didn’t sign up for this.”

“I signed up for you, though.”

“Don’t say that. You still don’t know what you’re putting your name down for.”

“Hey, at least Jet and Alice can have sex in the lounge now without worrying we’re going to walk in on them.” 

“You say that like they were ever worried in the first place.”

“Yeah, I guess they were pretty carefree, huh babes?” 

“A luxury they’ll get to keep.” Ginny moved off Alex’s lap then, and turned on the sofa so she could face him. “Alice will always wonder, but she’ll move on. She and Jet, both. I know it was strange for her, but she’ll understand. And someday when the war is over, I’ll send her a letter.”

“Let her know you’re alright?”

“Sure. Or if I’m not alright, Ron will send it for me. Maybe he’ll call her on the telephone,” she said with a laugh, “he still thinks it’s the oddest thing. Loves to mash the buttons and see who answers.”

“No telephones ‘round here?” Asked Alex, avoiding the obvious.

“Yeah, magic doesn’t mix so well with electric things. Messes with the currents, or so I’m told.”

“Hermione tell you that?”

“Harry, actually. He gets that kind of stuff better than the rest of us. Hermione could tell you every hidden secret contained within the annals of history, but Harry does logic even better than she does. Don’t get me wrong, Hermione could logic the shit out of you, but some stuff just makes sense to Harry. Like he sees stuff the rest of us can’t.”

“Sounds like a pretty clever guy. No wonder you all like him so much. He seems like kind of an odd duck, though. “

“It’s part of his charm.” Said Ginny, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

But, if you think he’s an odd duck, just wait until you properly meet Luna.” She said with a snort.

“The blonde with the excellent right cross?”

“Oh?” 

“I kind of saw everything from my super-manly hiding spot behind a rock today. She fights dirty. No rules.”  
“Yeah, well, Luna doesn’t play by any sort of recognized rulebook, but then, neither do the death eaters.”

“Your friends kind of scare me, babes.”

“Yeah, don’t cross them, mate.” She said with a grin and a poke to Alex’s side.

“Figures.”

“What?”

“That you’d have some well-hidden secret life waiting in the rafters, and around every corner. Seems just like you.”

“I suppose it does look that way to you.” 

Ginny stared into the fire and let Alex run his hands through her hair while she thought on what was to come. She felt woefully unprepared, just the way the world does before a war. And this one was her birthright, thrust upon her before she could get away. It wasn’t fair, but these things never were, and she didn’t expect them to be so. What she did expect, however, was that things were going to get very dark, and very soon.

OoOoO

Blue sunlight filtered through the curtains and through Ginny’s hair as she sat still on the covers of her four-poster. She, Alex, Hermione and Harry had taken what was usually Ginny’s dorm, and she was busy listening to Alex breathe beside her. Ginny looked down at him while he slept, and studied the curves and points of his face until she could look at him no longer. Sliding off the bed, Ginny padded over to the little bathroom to wash last night off her face.

Ginny went for her toothbrush, but didn’t quite make it that far. Staring at herself, she saw that even one day back in her world of magic was taking its toll. The stirrings of war were yet at their feet. Bruises from the fight marked her arms and torso, and she still had a gash across her arm. Madame Pomfrey had cleaned it, but for some odd reason, and in a fit of muggle-ness, Ginny hadn’t let her heal it. She still couldn’t say exactly why. 

Noises from the bedroom startled her out of her reverie, and Ginny finally went for her toothbrush.

There was a little knock on the door, and then Hermione let herself in. She said hello to Ginny, and the sank to the ground with her back against the door.

“Dumbledore’s going to want to call a meeting.” She said.

“Yeah, I reckon so.” Said Ginny, around her toothbrush.

“I’m afraid it’s going to be a council of war.”

Ginny finished brushing, and took a seat across from Hermione.  
“I think it would be dishonest to call it anything else.”

Hermione looked up for a moment, as though she were trying to clear tears from her eyes.

“Gin, I don’t know that I’m strong enough for this. I mean, I know that we need to be there for Harry, and I know that he hasn’t got a choice, but what if we can’t help?”

“If there’s one thing I know, ‘Mione, it’s that there are some things we can never be prepared for, but we have to do them anyway. We just have to move forward.” Ginny took a breath, and looked Hermione in the eye. 

This is that thing, babes. This is that one thing we just have to do anyway.”

Hermione reached out, and Ginny took her hand. Though she still looked to be crying, Hermione looked back at Ginny that time, and said with a clear voice, “I promise to be with you until the end, and one day after. No matter what happens.”

“To the end, and a day after. I promise.”

OoOoO


	6. Between the Hours

Harry was sitting alone in the improvised dorm room on top of red and gold covers when there was a soft knock on the door. Thrice knocked, thrice more, and Harry opened the door. 

“Luna.” He said, staring down at the smallish blonde. “I thought you’d all gone down to the great hall.”

“Oh, we had,” She said, sweeping past him into the room, “I only realized I wasn’t hungry after I’d sat down. Quite a thing, isn’t it? How it turns your stomach.”

Luna was looking at him with her large, orb-like eyes, and Harry didn’t feel the need to ask for clarification. He knew exactly what she meant. He had, after all, stayed away from the great hall altogether. 

“Won’t you sit with me, Harry?”

“Sure, Luna.”

Both together on the edge of Harry’s bed then, a question came to Harry’s mind.

“Is your dad okay, Luna? Did he get out?”

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you to ask, Harry, but you needn’t worry. We have our ways, he has his.” She said, looking down at her hands. They were twisting just slightly in the fabric of her dress. 

He’ll be just fine.”

“Okay.”

Silence fell for a minute, and then another, and Harry began to feel that there was something Luna couldn’t say. Perhaps it was not the time. Perhaps it was not the place.

Before he could decide, Luna stood abruptly, and steadied herself with a hand on a bedpost. 

“Well, I really must be going, Harry, but it was ever so lovely to chat with you.” 

“Wait, Luna,” said Harry, standing up.

“I really have to go, Harry. Infestation of wrackspurts in the library. Can’t have them lying in wait for Hermione to stumble into, now can we? Need her at her best, don't we?”

“Yes, of course, Luna. I’ll see you at the meeting later on, yeah?” Said Harry, with less confidence in his voice than there ought to have been.

“Oh yes.” She said, and promptly left.

She had waited just a moment too long before answering.

OoOoO

“I just had the strangest conversation with Luna.” Said Harry. 

He and Ginny were seated on the stone steps leading up to the front doors of the Castle. The two of them were mostly quiet in the dark, eating an orange and looking up at the stars. It was late, the sun had gone down a few hours before.

Ginny had always loved to watch the stars as a child, and Harry loved to do anything Ginny wanted to do, so things tended to work out. Ginny supposed that might have been why they were such easy friends. It was nothing like her relationship with Ron, that was to be sure. Turbulent, yes, but easy their relationship was not. It didn’t bother Ginny, though. She knew that was the way with siblings, just some more than others.

“You don’t say?” Said Ginny, with a wry smile at Harry.

“I mean stranger than usual. We talked about her dad. She seemed- ah- preoccupied.”

“Yeah, well we’re all handling it differently. Mum would say it’s to be expected.”

“Yeah? What does Alex say about it?” Out of Ron’s mouth, it would have sounded confrontational. Out of Harry’s, it was gentle, calm even.

Ginny paused a moment, peeling white strings off her orange slice with idle fingers.

“I’m not sure, actually. I think he’s handling it better than any of the rest of us. He’s not had time to cross the line over from well-adjusted individual to— well, whatever’s on our side of the line.”

“Hey, babes, I’m totally well-adjusted!” Harry mocked her, tossing little white orange-strings at her head.

“Rude.” Said Ginny, attempting to remove them from her hair.

Ginny gave up, sighed, and bent her head to rest it on Harry’s shoulder after that, suddenly drained of any kind of energy. Harry paused, and then brought his arm around her waist to pull her in closer so she could put her full weight into him.

Their silence fell over them again then, and the two of them stayed on the flagstone until the sun began to make an appearance, just watching the stars. 

OoOoO

“She’s not really a girl anymore, you know.” Said Molly, staring down at Arthur’s back.

“I know. I just wish she hadn’t felt like she’d needed to leave.” He said, sinking further down the side of the bed.

“I suppose we should get used to losing control.” Said Molly.

“Yes,” Said Arthur. “I suppose we should.”

OoOoO

“Hey ‘Mione.”

“Oh, hello Ron.” She said, looking up from her book.

“What’cha doin’?”

“What’s it look like?”

“Come on, ‘Mione, don’t do that. I didn’t come over here to start a fight.” Said Ron, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“I know, Ron, I’m sorry.” She said, closing her book- Charms and Logograms- and running her hand through her hair. “I don’t mean to be difficult.”

“Hey, hey, you’ve got just as much right as anybody to be difficult right now. I don’t blame you for it.” Said Ron, lowering himself down to sit next to Hermione at the table. 

He’d found her in the Library, just as he’d suspected. Ron was generally more astute than people gave him credit for, and a measure more devious, too. He could have been accused of having used it to his advantage once or twice. Hermione had been sitting at a table halfway through the library (it was a very big library, she took a while to find) reading the first book she’d pulled off the shelf in a desperate attempt to keep her mind off the unknown whereabouts of her parents. She kept imagining them killed, and halfway didn’t want to ask Dumbledore if the order had found any bodies. She comforted herself with the notion that he would have told her already if he had.

The pair of them said nothing for a moment, and then-

“D’you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

“I mean. I can’t, Ron. I wasn’t ready. I thought we still had time.”

“Yeah, that kind of thing’s hard to trick yourself into thinking when you’ve got someone like Luna hanging around.” Said Ron, with only a small laugh.

“Of course.” Said Hermione. “The woman can see everything.”

Years ago, Hermione wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of lending credence to Luna’s musings and declarations, but she’d since learned that Luna could see things other people couldn’t. She’d deny it till the day she died, but some days, when it was late and she was tired and frustrated with herself for being so shortsighted, she felt some modicum of jealousy on the subject.

“How are you two?” She asked abruptly.

“Ah-“ Said Ron, startled. “We’re good. Yeah, strange, but good. She makes me better, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s funny, ‘Mione. Because before I started seeing Luna, you know, like actually seeing her, I didn’t realize how clear things can become when you start seeing things through someone else’s eyes. I think about what she’d say before she even says it. Kind of like I’ve got some kind of Luna-lens I’m seeing everything through now. It’s the strangest thing.”

“There are worse things, Ronald.”

“I don’t mean that. I meant to say, in all that, that it can be helpful, you know, to have someone who understands you.”

“I don’t need rose-colored glasses to see the world with, Ron. I need something to do.”

“I never took you for a pessimist, ‘Mione.”

“Well, I never was before. Things are different now.” She said, straightening up.

Before she could leave, Ron grabbed her hand. She turned to look at him with accusatory eyes, like he’d offended her.

“Let go, Ron.” He released her like she was on fire.

“Please, ‘Mione, let me.”

“Let you what?” She snarled.

“Let me be that person.” Said Ron, unafraid. He’d heard her snarl at him before, he wasn’t scared of her anymore. “If not me, Neville’s the best listener I know. I just want you to have someplace to go.”

“I don’t need someplace to go, Ronald!” She raised her voice at him. During the school year, Madam Pince would have rounded the corner with a glare and a ‘shush!’ Now, there was nothing but empty air. “I already told you, I don’t need to talk to anybody, I just need something to do! I’m so tired of sitting around, waiting for the next horrible thing to happen. Why do you think Harry and I disappeared all summer? Sitting in my room waiting for ‘The Call’ was properly killing me. Now, I’m just stuck back in this stupid castle, reading stupid, stupid books and waiting for some asshole Death Eater to kill my parents!” Hermione was halfway in tears at that point, and looked like she might fall over at any moment. She had always been brittle when it came to her own emotions, she supposed, before she reigned herself in, gathered up her book, turned on her heel, and left.

Sat alone in the library, then, Ron looked up at the stacks floating above his head, and watched them teeter back and forth until he could keep his eyes open no longer, and went to bed.

OoOoO

The evening of the next day, Dumbledore sent out scrolls with the house-elves. There was to be a meeting of the Order of The Phoenix in the Headmaster’s office at six ’o clock.


End file.
